However, for Ireland, it will be the next best thing, with 93 per cent coverage in the north and up to 98 per cent coverage in the extreme southwest. <\/p>\n
These percentages are similar to the much-anticipated eclipse of August 1999, in which Dublin skywatchers got the best of the weather and the sun, obscured by the moon, turned into a bright crescent. <\/p>\n
The best views of Wednesday\u2019s eclipse will be in the southwest, where just a tiny sliver of sunlight remains mid-eclipse. <\/p>\n
The ideal location to view would be the Blasket Islands, looking out to sea to a clear horizon where the sun is almost completely eclipsed. The more pronounced darkening of the sky will likely cause some street lights to automatically switch on, while birds will start to roost early. The brilliant planet Venus will pop into view at some stage to the far left of the sun as mid-eclipse approaches. <\/p>\n
Multiple eclipse crescents will also be seen dappling the shaded ground beneath trees (throw down a white sheet for better contrast), or they can be projected with a colander or kitchen strainer. It\u2019s a cool way for everyone to track the narrowing solar crescent.<\/p>\n
By mid-eclipse the sky will appear darker than expected but light levels are still generally equivalent to a heavily overcast winter\u2019s day, or 10-20 minutes before sunset on a clear evening. The sun\u2019s low altitude at this time may impact what we anticipate, though.<\/p>\n
The partial solar eclipse begins between 6.09pm in the north and a bit later the further south you go. Mid-eclipse is between 7.07pm and 7.13pm, and it ends just after 8pm across the island. <\/p>\n
A reasonably clear western skyline will allow you to watch the proceedings as the sun starts to get low.<\/p>\n
Changes in the ambient light level will only become apparent when the sun is nearly 80 per cent obscured. That is often experienced as an abrupt drop in brightness as our eyes compensate for changing light levels in a logarithmic way rather than linearly.<\/p>\n
As the eclipse deepens, your surrounds can take on a strange hue, as if colour is being bled from the landscape. This transformation happens as our eyes shift from daylight\/colour perception towards night\/monochrome vision. <\/p>\n
Several astronomy clubs and facilities countrywide have co-ordinated eclipse viewing events with the details listed on their respective websites. <\/p>\n
These include Armagh Observatory, Ballycroy Visitor Centre in Mayo, Birr Castle Demesne, Blackrock Castle Observatory in Cork, Dunsink Observatory in Dublin, NUI Maynooth\u2019s department of physics, the Irish Astronomical Society (at the Phoenix Park Visitor Centre), the Irish Astronomical Association in Belfast and Midlands Astronomy Club.<\/p>\n
Irish and Italian research teams plan to intercept the eclipse track off Ireland\u2019s coast from on board an Air Corps aircraft. Detailed photographs of the region of the inner corona during totality will show changes on a very short timescale and add to our understanding of the heat transfer mechanism.<\/p>\n
Circumstances are not as good again for us until a total solar eclipse on September 23rd, 2090, which again favours the southwest. Total solar eclipses in Ireland are incredibly rare; the last one was on May 22nd, 1724. <\/p>\n
This year\u2019s eclipse is total on a narrow track that initially favours some countries ringing the Arctic before the moon\u2019s umbra passes about 220km off our coast. The path next makes landfall in Spain diagonally from the north to roughly southeast and ends by treating the Balearic Islands to a spectacular totality just minutes before sunset.<\/p>\n
If winning the World Cup was not enough, Spain will enjoy two total eclipses in as many years, with another one due next year on August 2nd, 2027, which will be the longest one for more than a century. In 2028, Spain will also have an annular eclipse when the moon will obscure all but the outer disk of the sun, making it look like a ring of fire.<\/p>\n
How to keep your eyes safe![\"People](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/TOCMPDA7HLNNSNZ2M52YTXUGYA.jpg\")
People watching a solar eclipse in Fredericksburg, Texas, in April 2024. Photograph: Holly Lynton\/The New York Times <\/p>\n
While there will be a lot of interest in this partial eclipse, eye safety is paramount should you plan to take a look, as the fraction of sun remaining mid-eclipse is still unsafe to stare at directly without taking proper care.<\/p>\n